Over the last couple of months a portion of the down time in the Dog House has been spent reading, tough to believe right! Here are my reviews of two behind the scenes books in regards to movie design and making.

written by David Heyman & Brian Sibley

All the books are made into films, all the films have been watched (multiple times I might add) and the question has been asked "What do we do now?" The answer I found was to read this book then watch them all again. This book dives into the behind the scenes magic that makes up the eight Harry Potter Films, from Hogwarts to Gringotts and all in between. It brings to light set and character design, costume and makeup, special effects and even all the print design for packaging and newsprint in the movies. With an entertaining setup and interesting tidbits this books is a great exploration into what it really took to bring the book series to life in the big screen. If you like Harry Potter you should check this book out.

written by Jody Duncan & Lisa Fitzpatrick

On the topic of behind the scenes this book is a little more technical in the fact that there was not alot behind the scenes. Director James Cameron waited to make this film until technology could allow him to make the film he saw in his head, a good thing he waited. This book explains and explores the way that the film was shot on a soundstage with everyone covered in dots for the facial recognition software. It also shows how the six-legged creatures of Pandora came to be and connections between our world and the world that is years away. For a movie geek who likes the nitty gritty into a production this is a book to check out, or if you love technology and the creative drive you will dig it as well.

To end this post, both books are highly recommended if you or someone you know loves movies in and out.

It is an odd fact, for me at least, that the more one travels the less the want to stay in one place. You fly around the country logging well over ten thousand miles, in one month and that only includes flying. You then wander new cities and you have caught it. The exploration bug, the usual mundane life seems even slower you read articles about others adventures and try and figure a way to make them your own.

I travel alot, over 62,400 miles in 2011. And that is only an estimate. The traveling is great, the job that is is for is awesome, everything is very adventure ready. So for 2012, even though we are a couple months in at the moment, it is the year of Adventure. With the White Stag leading the way, no references to Harry Potter please, we are ready to tackle what is new and explore the hell out of it.